noble



4 Sheets-Sheet 1. A. NOBLE 8v G. HENDERSON.

BREEOH LOADING'ORDNANOE.

(No Model.)

Patented Mar.'7,1893.

In ra/furs, W m

4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

:H. l 1| w M H 111 fiw Patented Mar. '7

I II

(No Model.)

'A. NOBLE & G. HENDERSON.

BREEGH LOADING ORDNANGE.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3. A. NOBLE & G. HENDERSON.

BRBBGH- LOADING ORDNANGEQ (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

A. NOBLE & G. HENDERSON.

BREEO H LOADING ORDNANGE.

No. 492,942. Patented Mar. 7, 1893.

15 n J L P x l 7 T -t N ANDREW NOBLE AND GEORGE HENDERSON, OF NEWCASTLED'PON-TYNE ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO THE SIR \V. G. ARMSTRONG, MI'FOIIELL & COM- IANY, LIMITED, ()F SAME PLACE.

BREECH-LOADING ORDNANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 492,942, dated March '7, 1893.

- Application filed July 5, 1892. Serial No. 439,020. (No model.) 7

To all whom it 11mg concern:

lie it known that we, ANDREW NOBLE, manufacturing engineer, 0. 15., late captain in the Royal Artillery, residing at Jesmond Dene House, and Gnonon HENDERSON, engineer, residing at Elswiek Works, Newcastle-upon- Tyne, England, subjects of the Queen of Great Britain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breech-Loading Ord KO nanee, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to breech loading guns which have a divided screw breech piece. The breech piece is mounted upon a carrier :5 arm; the carrier arm is jointed to the breech of the gun and a hand leveror actuating part is provided; this lever or part is movable in a plane parallel to that in which the carrier arm moves and it imparts to the breech piece both the rotary motion necessary for locking and unlocking and the rearward motion necessary for opening and closing the breech.

The invention also relates to mechanism for automatically working the hand lever or actuatin'g part.

The invention also relates to firing mechanism for guns having divided screw breech pieces mounted upon carrier arms.

Figure 1 is a rearelevation of a gun having breech mechanism and firing gear in ac cordance with our invention. Fig.1 is a detail View of the carrier arm and some of the parts connected therewith. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2, 2, in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is a plan of some of the parts. Figs. 4:, 5, 6 and 7 show a modification of the breech mechanism and also automatic gear in connection therewith. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation, Fig. 5 is a side elevation and Figs. 6 and 7 are plans with the parts in different positions. Figs. 8, 9 and 10 show another modification. Fig. 8 is an end elevation, Fig. 9 is a side elevation and Fig. 10 is a plan.

In Figsl, 2 and 3 the construction is as follows:-To the breech end of the gun a we hinge at c a bar 0 which we call the carrier bar and on this bar there is a pivot piece 0 The pivot enters a cavity in the breech piece I) and the breech piece is mounted to turn on the pivot. The breech piece may be formed with a step-divided screw thread in well known ways, (as indicated in Figs. 2 and 7) and when the breech piece is unlocked it can be withdrawn from the gun by a rearward movement of the bar 0 about the hinge c. The bar 0 carries a block 0 which can slide upon it in direction to and from the hinge. This motion is imparted to the block 6 by a hand lever (1 which has its fulcrum (1 upon the-bar 0 near the hinge and the hand lever is connected with the block by a link f. The breech piece has a pin 1 projecting from it and entering an elongated hole 6' in the block c.

The actionain opening the breech is that the block 6 is drawn by the hand lever d and linkfalong the bar 0 towardthe hinge c and the block being engaged with the breech piece I) by means of the projecting pin turns the breech piece to unlock it. liy this time the block 6 has moved along the bar 0 as far as itis able and the hand lever d then in its further movement carries the bar 0 rearward with it, the bar turning about the hinge c. As soon as the bar recedes from the breech of the gun a catch 00 upon the bar is thereby liberated and it engages with the breech piece which then cannot turn. In closing the breech the movements occur in the reverse order, the hand lever carries the bar up to the breech, the retaining catch is thereby liber- 8o ated and then the block moves along the bar away from the hinge thereby turning the. breech block and causing the screw threads to engage. Any suitable catch may be employed. As shown, the catch no is mounted on a vertical pivot ac, on the carrier-bar c, and

a nose 56 on its inner front end, is normally pressed toward the rear end of the gun by a spring 00 When the breech is closed, the catch is disengaged from the breech-piece, 0 which is free to turn, as the nose m bears against the breech, and the-catch is forced back against the force of the spring 00 (see Fig. 3.) When the breech-piece is turned to unlock the screw-threads the notch m, is 5 brought into position 'to be engaged by the catch, and when the breech-piece is withdrawn from the breech the catch engages with the notch or, and prevents the breechpiece from movingin eitherdirection. When :00

the breech-piece is moved back the nose m strikes against the breech of the gun, there-' by releasing the catch from the notch and the breech-piece may then be turned and locked in the breech. When the gun is closed,

the joint f connectingthe link with the V which connects it with the hand lever-has other joints f f and it terminates in a ring embracing the pin 1) projecting from the breech piece. The hand lever d in this case is provided with an arm d to receive the link f. I p

The opening and closing of the breech may be rendered automatic in the manner shown by Figs. 4 to 7. The gun is upon a recoif mounting g and the springs of this mounting at g yield when the gun is fired and then immediately bring the gun forward again. An are of teeth (i is secured to the hand-lever cl, and engages with the teeth of a rack longitudinally relatively thereto.

h, carried by the mounting g, but movable A rod 72., connects the rack to a piston 72. in acylinder 1', containing oil, and a spring j, which is interposed between the piston and the rear end of the cylinder, returns the rack to its front position when moved out of it, and when unobstructed by a catch is. The catch has a spring and a handle 70 and isadapted to engage with the front end of the rack (see Fig. 7) and hold it to project from the breech of the gun against the force of the spring j. When the gun a, recoils, the inner end of the arc of teeth (1 engaging with a projection on the rear end of the rack, (see Fig. 6) draws the rack backward against the force of the spring j, and then the catch it, engages the rack and holds it stationary against the force of the spring, while the gun moves forward. As the gun moves forward the arc of teeth will be forced to roll on the rack h, and the breech block will be withdrawn and moved to the position shown in Fig. 7. The breechblock will be held in its position until the catch it is released, and while thus held may be loaded. Then if the catch is released, the spring j, will draw the rack forward, and the arc of teeth (1 will be moved to cause the breech-piece to be swung into the breech opening and locked therein, the piston 72. moving'in the cylinder 7 with a clearance adjusted tomegulate the speed of movement. A valve gives free passage to the oil while the gun recoils. h is a rod connecting the rack h and piston h. The pawl k is provided with aspring 70' and a handle 76 The speed of closing the breech may be regulated in other well known ways. sometimes instead of having a separate. axis for the working lever the mechanism is made so that both the working lever and the breech screw carrier are carried on the same axis. This modification is shown by Figs. 8, 9 and 10. Again we sometimes dispense with the spring and cylinder of the automatic mechanism and merely use the rack and pawl for opening the breech mechanism while the closing is performed-by hand by means of the working lever.

In Figs. 1 to 3 a suitable firing mechanism is shown. The firing mechanism may be arranged in the following manner:--Within the pivot c on which the breech piece b is mounted the firing pin Z and its spring l are carried.

A fork n embraces the stem of the firing pin and abuts upon a head at its rear end. The fork a is hinged at 71. upon the bar 0 and a projection at its outer end engages Wlblhfli flange or projection b on the breech piece 1n which flange is an incline so arranged that as the breech block b is turned to unlock it, the

firing pin Z is moved rearward. The firing pin is then caught by a sear or hook m which retains it until the searor hook is displaced by the pull of the lanyard in firing. The gun cannot be fired pre aturely asuntil the breech piece is securely locked the fork n stands in the way of the advance of the firing pin.

What we claim is-- e 1. The combination of the gun, the breech piece locked in the gun by a divided screwthread, a carrier arm hinged at one end. to the gun and at its other end pivotally connected with the breech piece,a handle pivotally connected at one end with the carrier-arm, a link (f) pivotally connected with the handle at one end,a sliding block 6, to which the other end of the link is pivotally connected and which is carried by a carrier-arm and adapted to move in a recess therein, and a pin b on the breech block, extending into an elongated hole 6' in the block 6.

2. The combination of the gun, a mounting in which it is free to slide, the breech piece locked in the gun by a divided screw-thread, a carrier-arm on which the breech piece is pivoted and which is pivoted at one end to the gun, a lever arm connected to the carrierarm, a link connecting the lever arm to the breech piece, an arc of teeth connected with said arm, a rack bar connected with the gun to move back with it during recoil before the breech is opened, and a catch for holding the rack in its retracted position.

3. The combination of the gun, a mounting in which it is free to slide, the breech piece locked in the gun bya divided screw-thread, a carrier-arm on which the breech piece is pivoted, and which is pivoted at one end to the gun, a lever arm connected to the carrier arm, a link connecting this lever arm to the breech piece, an arc of teeth connected with said arm, a rackliar connected with the gun IIO to move back with it during recoil before the on the carrier, a, flange or incline b on the breech is opened, a. catch for holding the rack breech piece with which the forked lever epin its retracted position, means for moving gages,and asliding spring-actuated firing pin the gun forward after recoil, and means for with which the fork of the lever 'n engages.

5 moving the rack forward aftorthecntch is re- 10 ed A. NOI B LE.

4. The combination of the gun, a. breech GEORGE HENDERSON piece locked in the gun by a divided'screw- Witnesses;

thremhaswinging carrier on which the breech J. I). A. NOBLE,

10 piece is pivoted, the forked lever n pivoted '1. PURYIS. 

